A morning cup of coffee is essential for many, but one doctor has warned that sudden symptoms on the tongue may indicate the need to stop drinking coffee altogether. Dr. Anis Khalaf, who has 457,000 followers on TikTok, explained: "You can go to the mirror and do a little test; if there are many cracks on the tongue and a thick yellow coating, you probably shouldn't drink coffee." Khalaf claimed this is often due to a "potential imbalance in the body," and consuming caffeine could worsen it.
Although he didn't provide much detail about the reason, he mentioned something known as "Yin deficiency" in Chinese medicine, which refers to a lack of fluids or coldness with heat prevailing. Dr. Lawrence Cunningham, a general practitioner in the UK, explained that "Yin deficiency" indicates an imbalance in physical health, leading to the depletion of "nourishing aspects," resulting in insomnia, heart disturbances, and other discomforting symptoms.
Regarding the thick yellow coating, Cunningham stated: "In my experience, the thick yellow coating on the tongue generally indicates a digestive imbalance in the body, not a specific aversion to coffee. It can be attributed to several factors, such as poor oral hygiene, dehydration, or the presence of bacteria and yeast. Although coffee itself is not typically the direct cause, it can exacerbate conditions that lead to this coating."
He added: "Coffee is acidic and can alter the pH balance within the mouth, which may contribute to the proliferation of bacteria and yeast, leading to the formation of a yellow coating."
